After the Indian National Congress (INC) suffered a humiliating defeat in the just-concluded UP Assembly elections, the leadership qualities of the Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is being increasingly questioned all across the country.

After the Indian National Congress (INC) suffered a humiliating defeat in the just-concluded UP Assembly elections, the leadership qualities of the Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is being increasingly questioned all across the country.

Out of 105 seats that the Congress contested in UP in alliance with the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party, the party could manage to win only 7 seats.

An online petition submitted on change.org, has called for naming veteran Congress leader Shashi Tharoor as the PM candidate of Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in the run up to the 2019 General Elections.

The petition submitted by Paul Trivandrum, a resident of Shashi Tharoor’s Lok Sabha constituency Thiruvananthapuram, has been signed by more than 9,000 people by Tuesday morning.

“In another two years' time India, the largest democracy of the world will face another national election. Success of a democratic country requires a strong public interest based opposition led by a visionary leader capable of Prime Ministership,” the petition said.

“ Dr Shashi Tharoor is a man well qualified with deep knowledge of international and national issues, who can connect with the people of India and with world leaders.” it added.

The petition, in one sense, challenges the leadership qualities of Rahul Gandhi after a string of losses that the Congress faced under his leadership after 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

The copy of the petition will also be submitted to the Congress President, All India Congress Committee as well as the UPA.

The Indian National Congress (INC) was reduced to just 44 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and the grand old party did not even qualify to formally claim the chair of the Leader of Opposition in the lower house of the Parliament. Not only that the party suffered defeat in almost eleven subsequent state Assembly elections.

The petition highlighted the qualifications of Shashi Tharoor by pointing out that he worked at United Nations for over 30 years in various positions besides being two-time MP from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.

It also added that the several books authored by Tharoor reflected his understanding of the pluralistic society of India.

The petition ended by saying,” We nominate Dr Shashi Tharoor to be the Prime Ministerial candidate of UPA in the run up to 2019.”